Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Chapter 2.7: International Processes and Complaints Mechanisms
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2.7.3 Financial Complaints Mechanisms
Chapter 2.3 has already reviewed campaigning around
both private and public financing for extractive industry
projects. The complaint mechanisms that are associated with,
particularly public, financial institutions make it important,
however, to consider these options again in this chapter.
The most well-known form of public funding for the extractive
industries will likely come from the big multilateral
development banks, of which the most famous is the World
Bank. As noted in Chapter 2.3, if there is World Bank funding
for a project then the first thing to do is to contact NGOs who
are working specifically on public financing, probably starting
with the US-based Bank Information Center, who can give
advice and support. 38
The Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO)
is the independent mechanism that deals with complaints on
the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC)
and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). 39
Because of its role supporting the private sector, the IFC is the
arm of the World Bank that communities are most likely to
have contact with. 40 Complaints can be made when the IFC or
MIGA are failing to apply their own Performance Standards.
Any individual, group, or community directly impacted or
likely to be impacted by social or environmental impacts of
an IFC or MIGA project can file a complaint. More details
on how to make a complaint are available in Section IV of
the International Federation for Human Rights’ “Corporate
Accountability and Human Rights Abuses,” or at the CAO
website, which provides online guides. 41
The Inspection Panel is the complaints mechanism for the
major lending arms of the World Bank (the International Bank
for Reconstruction and Development and the International
Development Association). 42 As with the CAO, the Panel hears
complaints from affected people to determine whether the
Bank is complying with its own policies and procedures (including
its own operational policies on indigenous peoples).